Advocate aims to bring change

IGNORANCE and lack of knowledge about family planning are the causes of unwanted pregnancies in the country, a community volunteer says.
Dorothy Kiki, a volunteer from Lae made this known after she and 13 others attended a two-day workshop on Family Planning provided by the Marie Stopes PNG at the Okari Campus in the Morobe capital.
Kiki said she was happy and privileged to be part of the programme which would help her as an advocate in the community.
“The course is helpful because it gives me the opportunity to go out and advocate to people properly,” she said.
“The community is ignorant, so they are not informed properly on the issues of family planning and they keep on doing things that are not helpful to society and the country.
“The ignorance and lack of knowledge about family planning leads to many kids being orphaned and roaming around the streets, creating problems.
“This shows clearly that people are living without not getting any proper advice from the clinic about family planning methods.
“If people are not seeking help from the clinic about family planning, then it is our job as the community-based mobilisers to go around and advocate them,” Kiki said. She said it was her responsibility as a citizen to advocate in the community and give the best advice and encouragement to the vulnerable community.